Well-being? Ha! It's just another lousy day : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis

BOTTOM OF THE BARREL, N.C. — We’ve endured crummy weather for three months and high unemployment for years. Now, a survey shows we’re neither healthy nor happy.

Maybe it’s time to drown our sorrows in more barbecue.

Such cities as Denver, with fresh air and the beautiful Rockies, rank near the top of a new survey of emotional health and well-being. Not so for us: Of 162 communities, Greensboro-High Point’s composite ranking tanked at 97th.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index surveyed 350,000 people nationwide in 2009 to see how they feel about “all aspects of their lives; physically, emotionally, socially and professionally.”

Even worse? Our emotional health, perhaps owing to tens of thousands of layoffs in the past five years, ranked 111th, far below such bastions of positive thinking as top-ranked Cedar Rapids, Iowa, or Anchorage, Alaska. You betcha.

Sure, we’ve got location going for us — not too far from the mountains or the coast. But who wants to go there when the sand is covered with snow anyway? We want to go to Hawaii, and that’s why Honolulu ranks in the top 10 in almost everything.

Raleigh, loaded with Ph.D.s who are high on recycling, granola and biking to work, ranks much higher in “healthy behaviors.” Even Charlotte, ranked 90th, can’t breathe enough NASCAR fumes to challenge our bottom-of-the-barrel 143rd ranking for “healthy behaviors.”

So, enjoy a smoke after that second helping of chopped barbecue, Greensboro, you’ve earned it.

And don’t forget to stop by Krispy Kreme on your way home.

Contact Richard M. Barron at 373-7371 or richard.barron@news-record.com

Fred

February 16, 2010 - 5:27 am EST

But when you are fed up wih the Greensboro mess please move to Denver and not to Browns Summit.

Blair

February 16, 2010 - 7:26 am EST

Sorry to burst the Denver bubble, but last I was there they did have a pretty significant pollution problem. A section of the area called Commerce City is nothing but factories spewing junk into the air. The mountains to the west tend to block the smog from dissipating. There is also the saying, "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes". There was also a joke about "small dog warnings" in the forecasts - caution to hang on to your dogs in the strong wnd. Oh, and they never cancel anything due to snow. Once it was 17 below zero and two feet of snow on the ground. Nobody's car would start. Did they cancel? Nah...

Sawdust

February 16, 2010 - 8:08 am EST

I lived in Denver about 36 years ago, worked on a job in the mountains in the winter. I remember driving to work in a heavy snowfall, visibility maybe 20 yards. Came up on a school bus making the rounds. If they cancelled school because of snow, they could never get the school year finished. We left after my son's school was out in the spring, about 6" of snow on the ground when we pulled out.

J.M.W.

February 16, 2010 - 8:10 am EST

Fire Sandra Hughes and bring back the Boar and Castle.

tbench

February 16, 2010 - 9:07 am EST

I second that, man I miss those Boar and Castle onion rings!

RonaldusMagnus

February 16, 2010 - 8:52 am EST

I've got an idea, lets raise taxes. That seem to be all state and local government can come up with. Who knows, maybe the new swim center will improve everyones outlook.

purplevoter

February 16, 2010 - 8:57 am EST

My husband and I lived in both Holland, MI, which ranks in the top 5 cities on this survey, and now here. The two areas are very similar demographically and culturally - predominately white, conservative republican, fundamentalist christian. Weather? Umemployment? Diet? Forget about it - Holland is under snow (feet of it) 8 months of the year; they've lost tens of thousands of jobs and added few new ones; they eat high fat, high salt, high calorie foods. The real difference between the two areas, and it's striking, is the attitude. No matter how bad things get, Hollanders are happy, optimistic people who truly believe things are getting better, just you wait and see. They're warm, welcoming and love who they are and where they are. So, the difference isn't the circumstances of these two areas, it's the the outlook.

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